Five Ways Cloud and Tifa Said Nothing & Everything
by YunCyn
Summary: 5 ways either one could have spilled the beans, after the events of ACC and DoC. So to speak. A ficlet collection.
1. Let Love In

**Five Ways Cloud and Tifa Said Nothing and Everything **

FF7 (c) Square-Enix.**  
**

* * *

_5: Let Love In_

-

When she was much younger, in the days when she thought life was simple (even though it wasn't) and things were going to be normal (which they wouldn't), she daydreamed. She'd dreamed of growing up and seeing the world beyond this one, before coming back to the warmth of her family. She dreamed of owning brightly-coloured Chocobos, running free across a huge farm, like stories she'd heard.

Sometimes, as little girls did, she dreamed about her wedding. There would be flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. Her mother would give her something from _her _mother – an heirloom, as she'd learned the other week – and she would wear a beautiful dress. Her husband would be tall and handsome. He would have kind eyes and a sweet smile. They'd finish their wedding with a kiss and everyone would cheer before they sat down to a big dinner.

Tifa no longer had such big dreams.

For as life would have it, growing up and seeing the world hadn't turned out the way she'd dreamed. She owned no Chocobos although she'd seen her fair share of them. And of course, heirlooms and flowers and beautiful dresses would never happen. She had grown up, grown too old and perhaps, grown too wise for that.

Instead, she waited. Sometimes she wondered what she was waiting for, sometimes wondered why. But inevitably, she kept falling back onto waiting. She'd gotten the hang of it.

Then, one hushed night, Cloud, haltingly and very quietly, said that he seemed to have finally caught up.

To his horror, when the words sank into her consciousness, its meaning deciphered from the way he said it and the way he looked at her, tears started to fall from her eyes. He started apologizing – trying his best to fix whatever offense he had inadvertently caused – but she shook her head, no, no, it wasn't his fault, no.

Later, as she rested her forehead against his chest, feeling the weight of his arms around her shoulders, she looked back at the girl she once had been and smiled.

_All your dreams will fit in this moment._

_-_

Fin.


	2. Hero

**Five Ways Cloud and Tifa Said Nothing and Everything**

* * *

_4: Hero_

_-  
_

The night Aerith – they would always believe it was her – sent them the waters, they stayed up. Side by side, sitting at the bar, as their friends slept the euphoria away and the children dreamed in their beds, they talked softly.

They remembered the dead, remembered the living. They talked about the past, and the present. They could even touch the future, just a little.

He glanced at her through the corner of his eyes then looked away, into the depths of his glass.

"...I've come home."

Her gaze was gentle, nothing accusatory. "I know."

_Is it enough?_ hovered on the tip of his tongue, about to be put forth in verbal form.

He caught the look on her face, those brown eyes just waiting for something, anything.

Three words slid back down his throat with the last of his drink. Then he looked up, trying to meet her eyes fully... and succeeded to an extent.

"I... I'll try again."

The way she smiled gave him some hope about his unasked question.

_-_

Fin.

**recklessly confined**: I always had a feeling Cloud would get rather flustered if he saw anyone cry... particularly Tifa. ;) Thanks for the kind words and glad you enjoyed the chapter. :)

**conscious dreaming**: Haha, thanks for reading both stories! The updates for this one should be quicker since it'll only be 5 chapters. Hope I don't disappoint you with either one! ^^;;

**mom calling**: I hope you got enough sleep there O_O I know Cloud and Tifa are taking an awfully long time to get to that point we want them to reach but it wouldn't quite be them if they got there in perfect timing. Cloud's nearly always late, for one thing. (laugh) Still, thank you for being so patient. :)


	3. You and Me

**Five Ways Cloud and Tifa Said Nothing and Everything**

* * *

_3: You and Me_

_-  
_

These things, thought Tifa, happen in the night, perhaps just after sundown. Or maybe at dawn. At least, it took place at some point in time when the setting might be considered _significant_.

So what was she doing here in the middle of the afternoon, looking away from him?

Outside, there was the general buzz of human conversation and the sound of activity. For a second, she wondered if this was affecting her ability to speak – the whole... _normality_ of the situation. Then again, abnormality would probably have rendered her even more incapable of speaking. That was just how things worked.

His blue eyes finally caught hold of hers, trying to seek out the reason she was acting so uncomfortable. He'd been on his way to get something from his room when she asked him to stop, just at the top of the stairs. She said she wanted to tell him something. And then for no reason at all, she clammed up, looking at the walls instead. They'd been standing there in silence for a good five minutes now.

"...Tifa?" Cloud prompted gently.

She clenched her hands into fists, and with all the sudden determination of a fist fighter, looked him in the eye. "Cloud, I..."

Cloud's brows furrowed in _more _confusion. "You?"

Meanwhile, Tifa's heart took a turn southward, zooming for her ankles. _Gaia help me, I'm not good at this!_

"I... need more beer."

Cloud blinked at her.

Deflated, Tifa smiled helplessly and nodded. "That's it. I thought you should know. We need more beer. Yes. I'll... yeah." That said, she turned around, took in a breath and started down the stairs. It could wait. This just proved she wasn't ready. It could probably wait another few weeks. Months. Maybe a year. A year sounded manageable.

Halfway down the stairs, he spoke. "Hey."

She glanced behind, seeing Cloud stop on the landing where she'd paused.

"We can go get more supplies now if you want."

He'd actually taken her seriously. She turned around to face him and smiled a little weakly at that. "Well, we don't really need it _right now_. I just thought I'd-"

She stopped when he reached out and took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. To her surprise, the hand trembled slightly. And now that she looked at his face more closely, there was a rather nervous upward tilt to his lips. It matched the subtle pink tinge rising on his face.

This... was _not_ about alcohol.

"Barret can hold the fort for awhile," he continued, with a half shrug and a curious light in his eyes.

Tifa stared at him. Then, with the feeling that perhaps some things _were_ done better in the middle of the afternoon, she broke into a soft smile (alongside a growing blush) and nodded.

Some minutes later, Barret, Marlene and Denzel watched them leave the bar as rapidly as they'd asked the other adult keep an eye on things for a bit. The children glanced at each other before grinning gleefully. _Everyone _had seen Cloud's hand round Tifa's even if they tried to hide it with a blink-of-an-eye exit.

Barret rolled his eyes. "Bout _damn time_."

-

Fin.

**A/N:** With great thanks to the "I Uh You Too" trope.

**Portrait of a Scribe: **(laugh) Oblivious may not be too far off really. Thanks for reading!

**vLuna:** Thank you!


	4. First Time

**Five Ways Cloud and Tifa Said Nothing and Everything **

* * *

_2: First Time_

_-  
_

"WOOOO!!"

"No fair!"

Marlene turned around and grinned brightly at her accuser. "You just don't know how to race Chocobos properly!" She turned back to the large pink bird she was sitting on and patted it affectionately on the neck. It let out an approving "Kueh" at this.

Sitting on another Chocobo, this one with feathers of bright yellow, Denzel rode up to Marlene. "Says you! I want a rematch!" he said despite the fairly large grin on his own face.

"You're on!"

Some way away, two pairs of eyes watched the two children create minor cloud dusts as they guided their steeds back to the starting point. Several farmhands, including the familiar Chocobo Chole, were there to help keep an eye on them as well.

"If we're not careful, they'll ask if we can raise one here."

Cloud smiled slightly as he leaned on the fence, still watching Denzel and Marlene gear up for a second race. "If Marlene asks, we can probably get Barret to help."

Beside him, Tifa chuckled. A breeze blew against her skin, tousling her hair a little. She closed her eyes to savour the feel of the wind on her face.

It was extremely nostalgic, this Chocobo Farm. It had remained in its old location right in the middle of the grasslands after all this time. Sans a few upgrades to the farmhouse and stables, it was in almost exactly the same state as when she and the rest had once visited, some years ago. It was nice to know that there were still places like this, open and wide.

"Hey you two! Thought I'd introduce you to a new one, for old times' sake."

Both Cloud and Tifa turned at the friendly voice of Choco Bill. The Chocobo breeder walked beside his grandson, the latter leading an ink-black Chocobo by the reins. Tifa saw Cloud's eyes widen by a fraction.

"A Mountain-and-River Chocobo?"

Choco Bill grinned widely. "Knew you'd appreciate it. We managed to raise about four adults last year. This is the youngest male."

"We've got big plans for him and his friends. If things go right, we should be seeing some Gold Chocobo chicks soon," added Chocobo Billy with a tinge of pride in his voice.

As Cloud spoke his succinct approval about such plans, Tifa went up to the black Chocobo. The bird looked at her calmly, even giving a "Kueh" of greeting as she stroked his feathers. She smiled at that.

"What's his name, Billy?"

The younger breeder grinned sheepishly. "Uhh, well... William."

Tifa laughed as the man turned a bit red. "Fair enough."

"Um, anyway!" He held out the reins in Cloud's direction. "Here, have a try."

With some hesitation, Cloud picked up the reins carefully. "...it's been a while."

Choco Bill waved a hand dismissively. "Riding Chocobos are like bikes – you won't forget once you've learned how!"

Cloud smirked at that before looking at William cautiously. He placed one gloved hand on the side of the bird's neck to reassure it before mounting. He could feel the bird tense up in readiness. Tugging at the reins, William willingly moved forward a few paces.

Satisfied, he turned William around and stopped before Tifa. "Coming?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "Two people on a Chocobo...?"

Billy grinned reassuringly. "S'no problem. Will's a strong bird – he can take your weight easy."

Cloud stretched out a hand towards her in silent invitation. Smiling, Tifa took it and got on, hoping Will wouldn't suddenly balk at the sudden addition of weight. To the bird's credit, all it did was "Kueh?" inquiringly, soothed by a pat on the neck.

"Off y'go then!" said Choco Bill with a wave as Chocobo Billy went to open up the fence gate into the large open expanse. Denzel and Marlene were in the middle of their third, and longer, race.

William moved through the gate and at Cloud's silent command, began trotting. Instinctively, Tifa's hands placed themselves on either side of Cloud's waist to keep her balance, much like she did while on Fenrir.

Spotting Denzel and Marlene just coming round the bend, Cloud smirked. "Hang on," he murmured.

"Clou- wah!"

William was only too happy to take off at a run, just in time to race side by side with his yellow and pink counterparts. The black Chocobo's strides were wide, and soon left the others behind, crossing the finish line.

Cloud brought William to a halt and waited for his wards to catch up. Both children were calling him out as they did so.

"Cloud, that's cheating!"

"Black Chocobos are much faster and you know it!"

As the farmhands grinned and chuckled amongst themselves, Chole interjected, "They got you there, Cloud."

Cloud duly raised one hand in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll let you two race fair and square."

Denzel grinned. "But can we ride the black one later? That was _fast_!"

"If Choco Bill says it's okay."

"Okay." Denzel looked over to where Marlene was supposed to be. "So do we- hey! Waitaminute! No one told me the race started already!"

"I'm gonna beat you this time...!" called out the girl, already ahead by two yards by the time Denzel realized it.

Tifa laughed behind Cloud, watching the kids take off again. "They're _definitely_ going to ask for a Chocobo later."

The only response was a half-smile. Then he glanced backwards at her. "Feel like going for a walk?"

She smiled at him. "Sure."

William was urged forward, but at a slower speed this round. As the Chocobo trotted amiably across the large field, ignoring the rambunctious antics of the two racing Chocobos, Tifa breathed in the fresh air and smiled to herself. The breeze that had picked up earlier was still around, now growing rather stronger, cooling her previously warm cheeks.

It was turning out to be a good day.

"...I'm glad you thought of coming here," she said. "The kids are going to talk about this for days."

She didn't see Cloud's half smile reappear. "I figured they better learn not all Chocobos are carved out of wood."

Tifa grinned, the image of Denzel's favourite sculpture coming to mind. "Good to know they're getting an education, huh?" She looked behind where it seemed like Marlene had come through victorious again. She laughed to herself, not needing to see them up close to imagine the looks on both their faces.

"...Tifa?"

"Hmm?"

"...are you..."

"...eh?" She blinked, then looked at the back of Cloud's head. "What?"

Tifa saw him tense a little, heard an intake of breath. "Are you happy, Tifa...?"

She tilted her head slightly, confused. She'd just said how glad she was that they were here. "Of course, Cloud. It's been a wonderful day."

"...right," he eventually replied. She thought his ears were reddening though that was likely her own imagination.

Blinking, she tried to shrug it off, just enjoying the view around her. They were getting to the far end of the fenced area now, but it wouldn't be long before Marlene and Denzel's Chocobos came running past for the fourth time.

Gradually, Tifa noticed that William had come to a halt. "...Cloud?"

The man in front of her was quiet, though his back was straight. Concerned, she placed one hand on his shoulder, craning her neck a little to try and see his face.

"What's wrong?"

He remained still for a minute before looking back at her slightly, over his shoulder. Half his face was covered by the shoulder armour and his eyes didn't meet hers. As if he had some sort of news he dreaded telling her. It was enough to start a nervous feeling crawling up her spine.

"When I asked if you were happy..."

She felt something tighten in the pit of her stomach, wondering if he was going to tell her something bad.

"I meant if you were happy being here. With me."

Tifa's eyes grew wide with surprise. "...I..."

His blue eyes flicked upwards, taking in the sight of her astonished expression then hurriedly, he looked back down again though he didn't face forward again. He kept his head half turned, waiting for a reply.

What he got instead was the feeling of her sliding her arms forward, locking them around his waist. She leaned against his back, eyes closed, smile on her lips.

"Ti-"

"Let's... just keep walking, Cloud."

In the midst of this rather hazy feeling in his mind and lightened sensation in his chest, Cloud put William – who'd patiently been waiting for the two humans on his back to sort out their awkward conversation – back into a trot. He hadn't planned on saying anything really.

But when he'd heard her laugh, and the question that had been hovering in his mind for the past two weeks resurfaced, it had just seemed best to ask. He'd been semi-prepared to take a blow to the face, as it were. Semi-prepared because he was still quite afraid of what would happen to him if she said no.

It turned out, thought Cloud with a small but definite smile, there was probably a big chance that Tifa's answer began with a 'Y'.

-

**Fin.**

**Synchypn0tic17: **Thanks so much for reading both stories! Yeah, Familial Moments was always meant to be a... well, family-based collection. I guess you could say I'm letting off some fangirl steam with this one? (grin)

**vLuna:** I'm pretty sure Cloud wasn't clear on what he was going to say when he took that chance. Thankfully, Tifa likes him that way. (laugh)

**Portrait of a Scribe:** Tifa's... shy that way. And wherever they decided to go, they certainly aren't telling anyone, much less me. ;D

**kerapal bubbles:** Thank you for the kind words!


	5. Hanging by a Moment

**Five Ways Cloud and Tifa Said Nothing and Everything **

* * *

_1: Hanging by a Moment_

At three in the morning, something stumbled through Seventh Heaven's door.

The owner, and sole employee, of Strife Delivery Service looked like he'd been dragged through six feet of mud, soil, dirt and other similar, miscellaneous debris. He felt just as bad as he smelled - which was saying something since a permeable stink clung to his clothes and skin. His muscles ached everywhere – back, legs, arms, neck, even his head – and when he sank into a chair, the bruises over his body cried for attention the only way they knew how. He had no broken bones out of sheer luck although a sprained ankle was certainly close to materializing. The only thing missing was blood and that was because he'd wrapped bandages around his gashed arms before he rode home. Outside, Fenrir was no better than its owner, scratched, dented and dinged beyond measure. It only made his head pound harder to think of all the work it would take to restore the bike to its former glory.

It had not been a good day.

And he didn't plan to ruin anyone else's. Maybe it was a good thing he'd only managed to come back at this ungodly hour of the morning.

Her gasp resounded – the bar was so quiet – as soon as he finished that thought.

_Even_ in such a state, he still had some presence of mind to stretch out one hand, a sign to keep away from him. He was practically caked in muck, grit and grime. He stank so much, he was sure those in the Lifestream were wrinkling their noses. This was no time for her to get any closer.

"...I'm alright... just dirty..." he mumbled, trying to communicate his intentions.

She hesitated, then nodded and turned away, disappearing into the back. He breathed out, closing his eyes. Two minutes. Two minutes and he would drag his sorry behind into the shower. Just give him two minutes.

He groaned when he felt a wet, cold cloth graze his shoulder. She could be just _that _stubborn_._

She sighed when he opened his eyes again, looking wearily, pleadingly, at her. "It's too late for you to pull your machismo on me. Stay still."

If he felt more like a human being rather than a sack of wet cement, he'd have protested. As it were, he sat there limply as she quietly wiped some of the grime away from his exposed skin. Only once did she shake her head as she avoided touching the bandages around his arms. The cloth was soaked in a basin of water, squeezed then applied to his forehead. One hand gently brushed his blonde fringe away as the cloth swept across the planes of his face and his neck. Admittedly, the coolness felt good against his skin and at least in a small way, he felt less filthy.

Nonetheless, when it was taken away, he looked at her through slightly blurry vision.

"...you stayed up."

Her brown eyes crinkled in a sheepish smile and she shook her head.

"I fell asleep. But I woke up at two. Then I heard you come in."

He continued to look at her, blue eyes glowing in the darkness as she turned around and wrung more water back into the basin.

And with the feeling that he hadn't quite a good grasp of what he was doing, he lifted his hand and tiredly settled his fingers onto her elbow, catching her by surprise.

"...why?"

She could have answered him in many ways. Most frivolous, some sarcastic. He could see her consider them as she looked back at him, trying to see what he meant. Yet, instead of saying anything, she just smiled slightly and gingerly removed his hand.

"You're exhausted, you need a bath, and chances are you don't know what you're talking about. You probably won't even remember all this tomorrow morning. But..."

She leaned forward and lightly pressed a kiss to his aching temple.

"This is why."

Then she helped him out of the chair and pushed him onto his bed – "I'd rather change bed sheets than drag your unconscious body out of the shower" – before heading to her own room to get some more sleep before dawn.

-ººº-

"I remember."

She dropped a cup in the sink at his voice, whirling around in surprise. "I thought you'd gone-" She paused. He saw her eyes widen as the realization hit home. "You... remember?"

He almost smiled. Instead, he walked round to stand behind the counter, looking at her steadily. "...yes."

She looked away, face burning a brilliant red, eyes unable to look up. "...oh."

He stood there before her for a minute – maybe a thousand, maybe a million – before he took in a breath. It felt like the breath one drew before one plunged into the unknown depths of cold water.

It turned out that her cheek – and then her lips – were much warmer.

_Final Fin._

**kitsune13:** I agree with you - it _is_ good to see Cloud getting stronger. Somehow you feel proud of him when he does something _normal_. (laugh)

**policis: **(laugh) It's possible! Thanks for reading. ^^

**mom calling: **Don't worry, William's quite a calm bird. He doesn't quite understand all the strange vibes he gets from the people on his back but as long as he's getting fed, he doesn't mind. ;)

**indigoia:** Uhh, well I wasn't really thinking about the length, to be honest. ^^;; I think a yard is pretty much the same everywhere - it's just that I'm more used to the metric system so that could have added to the confusion. Thanks for pointing it out though. :)

**kerapal bubbles: **Don't we _all_ want a furry Chocobo to take us to work and school? It'd be worth it just to see the looks on people's faces. (laugh)

**Podchaser: **Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. ^__^

**vLuna:** I guess she thought some things are best answered silently. (laugh)

**Portrait of a Scribe:** I thought having the Gold Chocobos around might be a bit much, _even_ after four years. Still, they're on their way! ;)


End file.
